ka'ak - sesame rings

Those bread rings (or Ka’ak) covered with sesame seeds are consumed throughout Lebanon and the Middle East. They’re a staple of the Lebanese pantry; they are usually sold in bags in all the bakeries.
In Lebanon, we serve ka’ak especially with tea. I used to have it with a glass of milk when I was a kid, dipping each bread ring with milk then eating it. In Lebanon, those ka'ak are sold in many shapes, round shaped, ring shaped or as sticks...
The use of mahlab (ground cherry pits), cumin, anise seed… bring a lot of flavor to ka’ak, this is why they're loved by all the Lebanese! 


Ingredients (4 dozen): 3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour - 1½ tsp yeast - 1½ tsp salt - 2 tbsp anise seed - ½ tsp mahlab (ground cherry pits) - ½ tsp sugar - ½ cup olive oil - ½ cup water - ½ cup milk - ½ tsp ground cumin - 1 egg, lightly beaten - 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar and spices in a mixing bowl. Stir until combined. Slowly, add the milk, the olive oil and the water. Knead for 15 minutes or until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic.
Cover the bowl and let it rest for 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size.

Divide the dough into 20 balls. Cover and let them rise one more time.
Roll each ball of dough into a long rope and cut into smaller ropes (abt 10 cm) and form a ring. Brush one side with the egg and sprinkle some sesame seeds.
Preheat the oven at 375ºF (190ºC).
Lay out on parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the rings, sesame side up. Bake them oven for about 15 minutes till golden. Then reduce the oven to 150ºF (65ºC) and let them dry out for another 30 minutes. The rings should be crispy.

 

Ka'ak -  anneaux de sésame
Ingredients (4 douzaines): 370 g de farine - 1½ càc de levure de boulanger - 1½ càc de sel - 2 càs de graines d'anis - ½ càc de mahlab - ½ càc de sucre - 90 ml d'huile d'olive - 100 ml d'eau - 100 ml de lait - ½ càc de cumin moulu - 1 œuf légèremnt battu - 1/4 tasse de graines de sésame



Mélangez la farine, la levure, le sel, le sucre et les épices dans un grand saladier. Ajoutez l'huile d'olive, le lait et l'eau et pétrissez tous les ingrédients avec vos mains ou au robot, jusqu'à obtention d'une pâte souple. Couvrez avec un linge de cuisine et laissez reposer 2 heures jusqu'à ce que la pâte ait doublé de volume.

Divisez la pâte en 20 boules, couvrez et laissez-la reposer un peu.
Roulez chaque boule en un long rouleau puis coupez-le en rouleaux plus petits (10 cm env.), faites une couronne en assemblant les 2 bouts, continuez avec le reste des boules de pâte; badigeonnez les anneaux avec le jaune d'œuf et parsemez-les de graines de sésame.

Préchauffez votre four à 190ºC.
Tapissez la plaque d'une feuille de papier sulfurisé et posez les anneaux dessus. Enfournez les 15 mn jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient dorés. Puis réduisez la température du four à 65ºC et laissez-les 30 mn. Les anneaux doivent être croquants.

Comments

  1. They look addictive! Lovely cookies!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. So happy to find yout blog! I was offered these same rings recently and totally loved them. Thx for the recipe!

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  3. These look so cute; thanks for sharing :-)

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  4. These look lovely! I must confess that I've never used ground cherry pits (or even heard of 'em) :)

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  5. Tes ka'ak sont très photogéniques! J'aime beaucoup la composition de la photo! et bien sûr le goût qui me ravit en permanence.

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  6. These look like a dangerous snack! I might not stop once I start nibblinb on them. I'm so curious about mahlab. I'll have to look for it.

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  7. Beautiful. Looks like little bagel crisps. I can tell these must be very addictive.

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  8. Oh, these delight me!!! What pretty little rings. :-)

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  9. What a fun little snack! My kids would go nuts for these. I'll have to surprise them with these one day this week! Thanks again.

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  10. Cherine these look gorgeous! Perfect bite sized peices!!!!

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  11. I grew up on these - my Syrian grandmother always sent them to us by the bag. So great to find a recipe so we can make them at home! Thanks :)

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  12. These look delicious! I cant wait to try them. Thanks for the recipe.

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  13. Ils sont plutôt réussis et sûrement tout aussi délicieux!

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  14. I love these savory cookies...great with some cheese or even as a base for a salad!

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  15. These look super delicious! They remind me of "sushki", similar rings but without sesame seeds, that I used to eat a lot growing up in Ukraine.

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  16. Kaak.. I cant imagine the kitchen without kaak! But we always buy them- never make them! Love your blog btw- just discovered it today and can relate to a lot of your M.Eastern recipes (and also living in Paris :) )
    Great kaak recipe, will definately have to give it a try!!

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  17. slt,hum j'adore ça ,bizzzz

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  18. Cherine these look wonderful. My problem would be just eating one of them. Biscuits/cookies such as these will be my downfall. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  19. As usual you have me drooling!

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  20. I could eat way too many of those! They look fun to make and delicious to eat.

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  21. I have a bag of these in my pantry that I brought home from Cyprus for my husband (he's from Aleppo). He's always telling me about how he grew up eating these for breakfast (with his tea, as you described). Now I can make them for him - shukran ikteer!

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  22. PS: Great photos!

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  23. Wow! These look so professional they look shop-bought! Don't get me wrong, not the Casino supermarket style, but they have a proper delicatessen look! Very, very stunning! I bet they taste as good as they look!

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  24. These are adorable, and the combination of spices sounds intriguing! I've always wanted to try these!

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  25. These look like mini doughnuts! Love your pictures!

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  26. Turkish people love these sesame rings as well. I love mahleb flavor in it. They are great snacks with a cup of tea.

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  27. These look so cute and fun to eat! Excellent clicks too.

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  28. What an adorable and delicious-looking snack! They remind me of tiny, crunch bagels. Oh, I want to make these so badly! Here's hoping I can find the time soon.

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  29. Love that first photo. These look so delicious - can't wait to make them!

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  30. Wow! I've missed so many delicious posts of yours ... these look fantastic. The perfect snack. It is the first I am hearing of mahlab ... it sounds so interesting. There is a traditional bread / bread rings made on the island my family is from (Kalymnos) that my grandmother would flavor with anise, nigella seeds and bay leaf. I can imagine these traditional Lebanese sesame rings are just as flavorful.

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  31. Ils sont superbes ces biscuits au sésame!
    Ils doivent etre très bons!

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  32. Hi Chicho

    That's a great shot! The ka'ak look just perfect. You know, I've never made these. They are something that my mom always made, but for some reason, I feel too sentimental to make them myself. My brother Maroun used to go for hours without eating while he was studying, and my mom knew that he wouldnt stop for a meal so she would make him ka'ak. Thank you for reminding me of them. :)

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  33. I absolutely love the flavour combination - and so pretty too! Thanks for sharing :)

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  34. Oh wow. We lived in Beirut for several years and seeing these brought back all the memories. I hadn't even thought of them before now. Thank you so much for sharing them and helping me remember a wonderful time in my life!

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    ReplyDelete

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